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New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

J.J. Abrams is becoming the next Gene Roddenberry.
Paramount is breathing life into its "Star Trek" franchise by setting "Mission: Impossible III" helmer J.J. Abrams to produce and direct the 11th "Trek" feature, aiming for a 2008 release.

Damon LindelofDamon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, Abrams' producing team from "Lost," also will produce the yet-to-be-titled feature.

Project, to be penned by Abrams and "MI3" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto OrciRoberto Orci, will center on the early days of seminal "Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission.

Deal reflects ParPar's bullishness on "MI3," which launches worldwide next weekend, and underlines the goal of Paramount chief Brad Grey and prexyprexy Gail BermanGail Berman to re-energize the pipeline via high-profile tentpoles while revitalizing the Par brand with top-tier talent such as Abrams.

"MI3" is the first pic to be released that's been greenlit by Grey.

"Star Trek" has been Hollywood's most durable performer other than James Bond, spawning 10 features that have grossed more than $1 billion and 726 TV episodes from six series.

Decision to relaunch "Star Trek" comes less than a year after UPNUPN pulled the plug on "Star Trek: Enterprise""Star Trek: Enterprise" amid dismal ratings following a four-season run and four years after "Star Trek: Nemesis""Star Trek: Nemesis" turned in the worst performance of the 10 films with $43 million domestic.

Original series created by Roddenberry launched in 1966 on NBC and ended in 1969.

During the following decade, the original 78 episodes of "Trek" became staples in syndication and helped mobilize the fan base along with conventions, books and merchandise. Paramount released "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" in 1979 and saw domestic grosses hit $82 million. The next three films grossed a combined $263 million domestically, so Paramount started the second TV series, "The Next Generation," in 1987, with Rick Berman and Roddenberry co-exec producing.

Under Sherry LansingSherry Lansing's tenure, Rick Berman had been teamed several years ago with Jordan KernerJordan Kerner and Kerry McCluggageKerry McCluggage to develop an 11th feature set in the early days of Starfleet Academy.

Re: New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

This seems to me like a thinly veiled attempt to get a new series going in the "classic era" Star Trek. They replace the actors who play Kirk, Spock & McCoy with younger unknowns the movie then push it to a TV show with the younger version characters.

As entertaining as a lot of Star Trek (especially DS9) has been, the series needs a good, long vacation. It's always going to have it's hardcore fans who will turn out for anything with the name on the title, but it's almost collapsing under it's own weight at this point. There's simply too much continuity and backstory with everything for casual TV and Movie fans to get excited about what's going on. I mean, it was probably impossible to get into DS9 unless you'd at least had familiarity with The Next Generation -- and I loved the last season of "Enterprise," but unless you were really familiar with every iteration of Star Trek, you were probably confused as hell at what was going on.

They need someone involved with the series who can take it in a fresh direction. I have no idea what that would be -- but it certainly isn't going down the "Prequel" route (which has already effectively killed the fanbases of the two major American science-fiction productions: Star Wars and Star Trek -- when are producers going to learn it's not as much fun when you know how things turn out?) again.

Re: New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

Originally Posted by savafan

I'd like to see a simple Starfleet Academy series, with no attachments to any previous storyline

Yeah I agree, this is another in a long line of "Younger hot actor/actresses in a trek series" if that's what they want to do fine..but leave the old characters out, don't piss all over the good parks of Trek.

Re: New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

I'm disappointed that they are going back to do a prequel of the original series. I wanted to see RikerRiker take over the EnterpriseEnterprise and PicardPicard get promoted to admiral.

The last Next Gen film was kind of underwhelming.

Now that Patrick Stewart's got the X-Men franchise to keep his bank account full, his price to appear in another Trek film is probably approaching $20 million now.

The intervening years haven't been kind to Frakes and Spiner. There is still hooting in the Enterprise newsgroup about the fact Frakes had to wear a "corset" and a chef's uniform in that show's finale to conceal the 50 pounds he'd picked up. Spiner said at the time Nemesis was released that he felt he was picking up too many wrinkles to do another film.

I can see why Paramount felt the need to go in a new direction. I'm sure there was great hope when it started that Enterprise was providing that new direction for the films. I guess this is a decent alternative.

Re: New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

Originally Posted by Unassisted

I'm sure there was great hope when it started that Enterprise was providing that new direction for the films. I guess this is a decent alternative.

I liked the Enterprise cast and characters. I think, much like Firefly, that it still would have translated well to the big screen. One of it's big problems is that it was on UPN, which wasn't carried on all cable packages when it premiered, and it kept moving around the schedule so you never knew when it was on. I believe part of Scott Bakula's contract with that show stated that he would do 2 films as well.

My dad got to enjoy 3 Reds World Championships by the time he was my age. So far, I've only gotten to enjoy one. Step it up Redlegs!

Re: New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

Re: New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

As long as Berman and Braga are not involved I'll give the next film a shot. The last idea I had heard was another prequle movie about the Earth-Romulus war. I think that had some potential but I think you would have to use the enterprise cast. I also enjoyed the last season of Enterprise, but was not overly impressed with the series finale. I would like to see them turn the franchise over to Ronald Moore, the guy behind Deep Space Nine.

I am not as enthusiatic about this starfleet academy idea, it seems like that idea comes back every couple of years.

Re: New Star Trek movie from 'Lost' creator

I think they should do a Star Trek 90210 kinda thing... you know, the OC meets Enterprise...... some hot alien chicks with all the angst and problems of inter-galactic dating and phasers and stuff.

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